After Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo left, Yang Xiong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, he celebrated a little too early. That same night, while Yang Xiong was meditating, someone suddenly appeared in his room, it was Sword Douluo, and judging by his frosty expression, it clearly wasn't good news.
The next morning during class, everyone was surprised to see Yang Xiong. He looked utterly miserable, bruised and battered, walking with a limp, and his face swollen and bruised as if he had been beaten up.
However, apart from the regular Shrek students and teachers present for training, there was also a new girl.
She stood about 1.75 meters tall, noticeably taller than both Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu. She had a curvy figure and was strikingly beautiful. Compared to Ning Rongrong, she looked more robust and carried an air of maturity, almost like a strong older sister.
Everyone was puzzled by her presence. Shrek normally trained in groups of eight, so why was there a peer-aged newcomer?
Ning Rongrong was especially excited. "Shuang Shuang, what are you doing here?"
The previously expressionless girl showed a rare smile when she saw Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, I've come to study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy too."
Flender coughed and addressed the group. "There are two announcements this morning. First, after discussions with the three education officials, we've officially become the second team of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. We're now called the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Shrek Battle Team. This means we'll be participating in the upcoming Advanced Spirit Master Tournament a year and a half from now as the second team."
"You all know how strong your future opponents will be, so you must train hard. No slacking allowed."
The group cheered excitedly. As spirit masters, they all wanted the chance to prove themselves. The full title of the tournament was The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament, a grand event that attracted young elite spirit masters from all over the Douluo Continent. Performing well meant recognition across the land.
Flender continued, "Second, the tournament requires seven main team members and four substitutes. After careful consideration and recommendation, we're adding one more substitute to our team. Keep in mind, we only have seven main slots. That means the eight of you will need to compete for them. If you fall behind in strength, you may end up as a substitute."
No one was discouraged by this; instead, they all seemed eager and ready. Everyone present was highly talented and hardworking, full of confidence.
Flender gestured to the new girl. "Let me introduce our new substitute member. Her name is Qin Shuang. She'll be training with you all from now on. I hope you get along well."
"Qin Shuang, why don't you introduce yourself?"
Since the morning assembly began, the boys had barely taken their eyes off her. She was simply too beautiful, and her mature appearance made her especially intimidating to adolescent boys.
Qin Shuang stepped forward. "Hello, everyone. I'm Qin Shuang, twelve years old. I'm a level-27 Power Attack System Battle Spirit Master. My spirit is the Giant Vajra Bear."
Other than Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong, no one knew much about Qin Shuang.
In truth, Qin Shuang had grown up in the same class as Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong. Back then, she was the only student with innate spirit power of level 7.
By the time she graduated, her spirit power had already reached the peak of level 25, ranking just behind Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong in terms of spirit power level.
Qin Shuang had lost her parents at a young age and was raised and trained by her sect. She was known for her diligence in training. It was actually Yang Xiong who suggested that Ning Fengzhi arrange for her to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Originally, Ning Fengzhi had not intended for her to attend. Talents like her, raised and trained by the sect—were meant to become future pillars of strength and would normally be placed in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's own academy.
But after Yang Xiong's persistent advice, Ning Fengzhi agreed and personally asked Flender to accept her. Otherwise, with Flender's standards, they wouldn't have allowed someone to join the team mid-term.
In the Douluo Continent, female spirit masters were far fewer than males. Those with high talent were especially rare and precious. For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the partners of direct disciples had to be battle-type spirit masters. Ning Fengzhi clearly placed great importance on Qin Shuang.
From the teachers' perspective, this tournament was more about experience. Compared to the top-tier advanced academies, the Shrek team had strong combat ability but overall lower spirit power levels.
They were more focused on the next tournament, when everyone would be around twenty years old. With their talent and hard work, they would likely reach the Spirit Ancestor level by then, maybe even produce several Spirit Kings.
Qin Shuang was the same age as Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong. Given her talent and strength, she would definitely become a Spirit Ancestor by the next tournament. This was one of the main reasons Flender agreed to include her.
Flender had Qin Shuang spar with Zhu Zhuqing. Though Qin Shuang ultimately lost, her strength caught everyone's attention.
The two were similar in age, and the match went back and forth. It took over ten minutes before Qin Shuang lost. It was clear that her defeat was mainly due to her lack of battle experience.
After training ended that morning, Yang Xiong patted Oscar on the shoulder. "Oscar, I brought her here for you. Took a lot of effort on my part. Now it's all up to you."
Oscar was overjoyed. "Brother Xiong, I won't let you down!"
Yang Xiong could only shake his head. Even though Qin Shuang was his classmate along with Ning Rongrong, she was always a bit of an outsider.
Despite being a girl, she had a tough personality, as cold as frost. Aside from Ning Rongrong, she didn't socialize much. Many boys who were interested in her had been beaten up.
Interestingly, the academy had originally arranged a separate dorm for her, but she chose to stay in Ning Rongrong's villa. Every time Yang Xiong tried to spend quality time alone with Ning Rongrong, Qin Shuang's cold glare would chase him off.
Yang Xiong was frustrated. He had made all these plans but seemed to have fallen into his own trap.
After several days of pursuing Qin Shuang, Oscar got beaten up and came to complain to Yang Xiong.
"Brother Xiong, isn't Qin Shuang a bit too tough? Aside from a few girls, she completely ignores the boys. She doesn't seem interested in having a boyfriend at all."
Yang Xiong patted his shoulder. "Oscar, you're not that young anymore. What kind of partner do you want for the future?"
Oscar thought for a moment and gave a sly grin. "I don't ask for much, just someone pretty."
Yang Xiong gave him a knock on the head. "Look at you, so shallow. I went through a lot to bring her here. I hope you're serious about her. If you just want a normal girlfriend, Heaven Dou Royal Academy is full of girls. I hear Ma Hongjun's already getting close to a beauty."
"But I think you should think long-term. You're a food-type spirit master. Your partner should be a battle-type spirit master, ideally a strong one. Otherwise, whether in training or in life, you'll need someone who can protect you."
"Most importantly, your partner should grow with you. Qin Shuang has innate level-7 spirit power and excellent talent. She has a real chance of reaching Spirit Sage or even Douluo in the future. You wouldn't want someone far inferior to you, would you?"
Oscar hesitated. "But when I talked to her yesterday, she said she wants someone stronger than her."
Yang Xiong gave Oscar a long look and shook his head. "Oscar, you still need more training. Think about it—strong women admire strong men. If you want to win her over, you'll have to become stronger."
Oscar looked doubtful. "But I'm a food-type spirit master. I have no combat ability. How can I compare with her?"
Yang Xiong smiled. "Actually, I have a method to give you combat power. But it's too early now. When you reach five or six spirit rings, I'll tell you."
"In the meantime, train hard. Improve your spirit power and strengthen your body."
"And you know I have a self-created spirit skill, the Spiral Pill. It's a skill that any spirit master can learn. If your strength is enough in the future, I'll teach it to you."
Oscar was curious. "Why not teach me now? Then I'd have combat power right away."
Yang Xiong shook his head. "The Spiral Pill isn't that simple. It requires intense focus and special training. I'll only consider teaching you when you reach Spirit Ancestor. I haven't even taught Rongrong yet."
Oscar: …
After Oscar left, Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. He truly regarded Oscar as a friend. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths, especially bringing Qin Shuang here, something both Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were reluctant about.
Among the Shrek group, Yang Xiong was closest to Oscar. They, along with Ning Rongrong, formed their own little circle.
Oscar wasn't just talented, he was also clever, quick to understand things, and had a good personality.
Yang Xiong himself had a tough and serious nature. He preferred to think things through and didn't socialize much. Oscar's flexibility complemented his personality well.
When Ning Rongrong found out that Yang Xiong brought Qin Shuang over as a potential match for Oscar, the little troublemaker almost tore down the wall.
"Yang Xiong! You dared scheme against my best friend? Don't you know how strong-willed Shuang Shuang is? You're pushing her into the fire!"
Yang Xiong grinned. "If Oscar weren't so outstanding, I wouldn't have bothered. What do you think of Oscar?"
Ning Rongrong rubbed her chin and thought for a long time. "Uncle Sausage is great in many ways, but he's just a food-type spirit master. His skills are a little too… sleazy. Especially the way he looks at pretty girls."
Yang Xiong tugged her ear. "You've known him this long and still don't understand him? In terms of talent, effort, and mindset, he's better than many of our sect's young disciples. Not to mention, he's pretty handsome by spirit master standards."
"You're Qin Shuang's best friend, right? Then you should think about her future. Oscar has a 90% chance of becoming a titled Douluo in the food system."
Ning Rongrong pouted. "You think too much. It just doesn't feel fair to Shuang Shuang. It's like both she and Oscar are walking into your trap."
Yang Xiong sighed. "A trap? Maybe. But maybe it's the best choice for both of them."
If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and 3 new chapters daily, please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel